The Spirit of Libra – Astrology for the Seasons

Astrology for the Seasons is a monthly series I started as an experiment to build strength and resilience for my mental health.

One thing that helps me with my mental health is to engage in practices of alignment.That is, an ongoing practice of listening, returning to, and being guided by the natural rhythms of my body, my emotions, growth in my relationships, changes inside me and around me, the earth, the seasons, the planets.

I find that being present and aligned with these natural movements can do a lot to alleviate feelings of anxiety, depression, overwhelm or confusion. We all do this in many ways, like when we feed our bodies warm stews and soups in the winter, and ice cold drinks in the summer.

I thought to myself, what would happen if I tried more consciously to align myself with the Astrological seasons of the year? Fun fact: every one of us has every, single zodiac sign within us – even though we relate to and express some signs much more strongly than others. (Yes, that means, even if you are a proud and true Sagittarius Sun, you still have Capricorn somewhere inside of you too!)

In other words, for all of us, there is a part of our lives that can be nurtured and healed by aligning ourselves to the lessons and gifts of every single sign; and every single Astrological season can give us wisdom and guidance on how to strengthen our overall health.

This first column in October is dedicated to none other than the beautiful, the charming, wonderful season of Libra. And what could be more beautiful than Libra’s Fall colours and fashion; the cooling air, red and orange crunchy leaves, cozy knitted sweaters,delicious pumpkin spice lattes (hey, not just a white girl thing, see here 😉 )

When I think of the spirit of Libra, I think of Season 4-Episode 14 of Gilmore Girls (yeah, I said it!). Lorelai, single mother extraordinaire, is overseeing the construction, design and impending grand opening of her new business, her own Inn, and she has a moment of crisis and break-down in the midst of her overwhelming workload. She cries on Luke’s shoulder and sniffles:

“Every now and then, just for a moment, I wish I had a partner, someone to pick up the slack. Someone to wait for the cable guy, make me coffee in the morning, meet the stupid sink before it gets sent back to Canada!”

Sad Lorelai Gilmore crying into her hands at her kitchen table

Yes, Libra is the sign of committed partnerships. Directly across the zodiac circle from Libra sits independent, self-reliant Aries – and we can always learn a lot about one sign by looking at which sign is its opposite. Opposites are always preoccupied with the same issues, but take completely different perspectives. Aries and Libra are both looking at the ego, the self, who am I? Aries says, I am who I am because I’m ME (like, c’mon!)

But Libra says, there is some growth we can’t do alone, there are some parts of ourselves that we cannot fully realize or become, unless we are in relationship with each other.

It’s that thing when we realize, as important as it is to carve out solo space to work on healing our wounds, addressing our trauma, or changing old patterns, there is a limit to what we can heal just on our own. But when we take the risk to be vulnerable and share ourselves with another person, that’s when we give ourselves the opportunity to learn a different relationship dynamic than we are used to; one that can affirm and nourish the places we were once wounded. This can help us let go of and transform patterns of relating that limit us or make us unhappy, allowing us to grow deeper into ourselves than we previously could have imagined.

Just like Lorelai Gilmore, Libra is a sign that wants someone to help carry the load. Pick up the slack. Meet the cable guy when we can’t be home. Help carry the groceries when our bodies are too exhausted. Someone to share the burden of making major life, home, family or health decisions that are overwhelming to make by ourselves. Someone to call when we’re in crisis and we know they’ll love us and have our backs even if we’re currently operating with the emotional maturity of a 6-year old.

We can find this kind of commitment in partners and lovers, but also friends, chosen family, sometimes colleagues or people we share community with. Libra is all about the kind of alchemy that exists in a one-on-one exchange of energy, hearts and self…the magic that happens when we see and accept each other for who we are, and enjoy all that life has to offer when we agree to create something together.

What Libra season can really offer us is a time to reflect on those agreements we make with each other. As with most parts of Astrology, and in life, the key to unlocking our strengths and navigating difficulties in relationships starts with looking at ourselves. The down-side of being so relationship-oriented and compassionate to other people’s desires and needs, Libra can get caught up in pleasing the other just to keep the peace. They can negotiate and empathize and resolve conflicts like nobody’s business, just for the sake of making it work, dammit! But sometimes they forget to ask – okay, sure, this works…but does it work for me?

I’ve been thinking a lot about my bottom lines – fundamentally, what is and isn’t okay with me?I’ve been thinking about my home base, and my landing strip – what values within myself am I committed to always return to? One of my bottom lines is that I need to have the autonomy of my body, my boundaries and my decisions, respected. And in that, my home base is trusting myself.

Making a commitment to something doesn’t mean you’re automatically perfect at it. It means you’ve agreed to return to it whenever you notice you are faltering. It means you are intentional about being in relationship to people whose way of relating to themselves/you help you strengthen your commitments, instead of break them.

The more I can remind myself to trust my boundaries, body and decisions, the less I will be inclined to continually invest in relationships that cross my bottom lines. The less I will be inclined to negotiate and empathize and make something work dammit (!)…with something that, well, just doesn’t work for me. And the more I will have room to notice and receive relationships that help me grow into the me I want to become.

So what can I/we do this season to be aligned with the lessons and gifts of Libra? Reflect on qualities in people you are drawn to and why, and make intentional decisions to reach out to people who make you feel like you. Carve out quality one-on-one time with your core people – with whom you can let down your guard, and you know they’ll love on you no matter what mood you’re in. Do something special for the people you are committed to. Reflect on what your commitments are, within yourself and to them, and make sure those are aligning with your current values, bottom lines, or landing strips.

Make some one-on-one dates with people you are excited to get to know. Talk a walk in a park, go to an interesting event, have lovely chat over a spiced pumpkin latte (…). Send that cute, flirty message to your crush and see how it goes. Pay attention to how it feels to connect with different people and the parts of yourself that are lit up in the process.

Lastly, Libra is an Air sign – it wants to move with ease. It wants our interactions with people to be pleasant, enjoyable, breezy. Spend time with people where the energy flows easily, or give yourself alone time where you just let yourself be. There is something valuable about seeking out relationships where we feel accepted without any strain. There is the time to fight for who you are (hey Aries!) and struggle through those messy, hard dynamics (yes-yes, your time is coming, Scorpio!). But sometimes life needs to be easy and that is okay!

Libra says It’s important for us to take time to give and receive pleasure, to enjoy ourselves without worrying that we’re not being productive or useful enough. Sometimes we need to just let the flow do its thing and not fight against the waves. We deserve that, especially for many of us who spend most of our lives fighting for ourselves, our friends, our community.

In conclusion, this Astrologer grants you permission to let things be easy! And I hope you enjoy some really good Libra lovin’. Tune in next month…we’ll be getting down and deep and dirty with Scorpio!

> shaunga tagore posted: “Astrology for the Seasons is a monthly series I > started as an experiment to build strength and resilience for my mental > health. One thing that helps me with my mental health is to engage in > practices of alignment. That is, an ongoing practice of listeni” >

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Shaunga Tagore is an astrologer, writer, performer and producer based out of Toronto, Ontario. Big thanks to Jenny Chan & Lilly Garcia for the stellar website design, and to Melisse Watson for the spectacular illustration and artwork throughout the site.